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Cranberry Juice And Urinary Tract Infection

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Is Cystitis A Serious Condition

Cranberry juice not the solution for urinary tract infections – Study

Short-term antibiotics or at-home treatment is often enough to cure cystitis. However, the effects can last longer for 20-30% of patients.

Infections may develop into pyelonephritis if treatment is not received. This complication can cause hospitalisation. Pyelonephritis is a serious kidney infection that can cause sickness, high temperatures, vomiting, and pain. Failure to treat this may progress to septicaemia, which can be fatal.

Is One Type Of Cranberry Juice Better Than Another For Uti

No one type of cranberry juice is the best for UTI prevention, but it is important to be mindful of the ingredients list.

Pure cranberry juice is extremely bitter and practically undrinkable, so the kind you buy at the store is usually diluted quite a bit. And the more pure your cranberry juice, the more likely you are to get a health benefit.

Be mindful of the sugar content too. Most store-bought cranberry juices contain high amounts of added sugars, and the FDA recommends a maximum of about 50 grams of added sugars per day.

In other words, you wont be doing your body any favors by chugging three glasses of sweetened cranberry juice cocktail each night .

Some drug stores also sell cranberry supplements or cranberry capsules for UTI prevention, but these arent typically regulated by the FDA, so youll have to vet them yourself.

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Know What Youre Getting

Theres no harm in drinking cranberry juice regularly to ward off UTIs theres just no guarantee itll work. However, do make sure youre drinking 100% cranberry juice and not a cocktail, which is mostly grape juice, apple juice, and sugar.

Cranberry juice does pad your diet with extra calories. Even unsweetened, 100% cranberry juice contains 116 calories per cup. That might not seem like a lot, but if you add it without trimming an equal number of calories elsewhere, it could lead you to gain about a pound every month.

If you opt for cranberry supplements, know that the US Food and Drug Administration doesnt regulate them. That means you cant be sure how much active ingredient each dose contains.

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Cranberry Juice For Urinary Tract Infection

Specialist says grocery-store varieties aren’t strong enough for the job

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 25, 2016 — Contrary to popular belief, cranberry juice does not cure a urinary tract infection, a doctor says.

Many people drink cranberry juice in an attempt to ease their symptoms, but it will do nothing to help them, said Dr. Timothy Boone, vice dean of the Texas A& M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Houston campus.

“Cranberry juice, especially the juice concentrates you find at the grocery store, will not treat a UTI or bladder infection,” he said in a center news release.

“It can offer more hydration and possibly wash bacteria from your body more effectively, but the active ingredient in cranberry is long gone by the time it reaches your bladder,” Boone said.

Each year, more than 3 million Americans have a urinary tract infection — an infection in any part of the urinary system, kidney, bladder or urethra, according to the news release.

The active ingredient in cranberries — A-type proanthocyanidins — is effective against UTI-causing bacteria, but is found only in cranberry capsules, not in cranberry juice, Boone said.

“It takes an extremely large concentration of cranberry to prevent bacterial adhesion,” Boone said. “This amount of concentration is not found in the juices we drink. There’s a possibility it was stronger back in our grandparents’ day, but definitely not in modern times.”

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Cranberry Products Are They Good For Pets

Does Cranberry Juice Get Rid of Urinary Tract Infections

Go to many of the popular pet blogs or pet supply stores these days and youre likely to see cranberry-containing products touted and marketed with terms such as urinary health or urinary care. But whats the real deal with cranberry is it really a cure-all for your cat or dogs urinary issues? Or does cranberry just have a good publicity agent?

Lets cut through the clutter and explore the truth about the benefits of cranberry to urinary tract health for cats and dogs. If you really want to try using cranberry supplements for your pet, scroll further down for some product options to consider.

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Cranberry Juice And Utis: Myth Vs Science

UTIs are a common bacterial infection, especially among women.

In fact, 50% of women, compared with 12% of men, will develop a UTI in their lifetime. Whats more, up to 30% of young women have recurrent UTIs, which can significantly affect their quality of life (

In addition to medications like antibiotics, many people use natural remedies for UTI prevention and treatment.

Cranberry juice and cranberry juice supplements are perhaps the most popular natural treatments for UTIs.

Cranberries contain compounds such as phenolic acids and flavonoids, which may help treat and prevent UTIs.

These compounds may help (

  • interfere with the ability of bacteria to stick to the lining of the urinary tract
  • reduce inflammation
  • modulate gut bacteria

Nevertheless, you may wonder whether cranberry juice is effective at preventing and treating UTIs.

Cranberry Juice And Organic Acids Used For Treatment Studies

The organic acids used are commercially available -quinic acid , L–malic acid , -shikimic acid , and citric acid . A mixture of the four organic acids, in concentrations corresponding to those found in the hydrophilic fraction of cranberry juice, was tested as well as the acids separately or in mixtures two by two. The concentration of organic acids in the hydrophilic fraction of cranberry juice were 0.74% quinic, 0.53% malic, 0.03% shikimic, and 0.78% citric acid, which gave a total concentration of 2.1% . For the PBS experiment, PBS was pH adjusted to pH 3.0 with HCl.

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Why Does Cranberry Juice Help

Sipping cranberry juice may help prevent nasty bacteria from setting up shop. An animal study, published in 2017 in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, suggests that cranberry juice may reduce E. coli bacteria from multiplying in the bladder.

There are two main compounds in cranberries and their juice that can be helpful: D-mannose, a type of sugar, and proanthocyanin, which is an antioxidant, explains Robin Foroutan, RDN, who specializes in integrative and functional nutrition in New York City and is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. These compounds prevent bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urethra and mucosa in the urinary tract, which prevents bacteria from infecting the tissue.

Ultimately, that could put a stop to a UTI.

Does Cranberry Juice Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Does cranberry juice helps in urinary tract infection? – Ms. Sushma Jaiswal

It is commonly believed that cranberries and cranberry juice can prevent UTIs but is this accurate? It is worth noting that there are only limited studies on this. Still, from the small research sample available, it would appear that, in some women at risk of developing these infections, drinking cranberry juiceor taking cranberry pills may decrease your chance of getting a urinary tract infection.5

It is believed that cranberries make your urine more acidic, thus killing the bacteria that cause UTIs, and that it prevents bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract.6 If you are interested in trying it, drink pure, unsweetened cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice drink because cranberry juice drink is not shown to benefit UTI prevention.7

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Can Cranberry Juice Prevent A Uti

Maybe. There is some good evidence in the research that consuming cranberry juice or cranberries can help lower bacteria in the bladder and prevent recurrence of UTIs in both human and animal models, says Seattle-based functional nutrition expert Ginger Hultin, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Champagne Nutrition.

A review of studies, published in 2017 in the Journal of Urology, found that consuming cranberry products reduced the risk of UTIs by up to 33 percent. The cranberry products seemed especially effective for those who had recurring infections.

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Other Potential Mechanisms Involved In Cranberry Efficiency Against Utis

Emerging evidence shows that the gut microbiota has a key role in homeostasis, regulating health and disease at distal sites throughout the body . Although microbial profiles and microbial metabolites of the gut and other organs might influence the urinary microbiota, the relationship between these actively metabolizing organisms and urogenital health is yet to be completely elucidated . It is now widely accepted that the urinary tract harbours a complex microbial network which is substantially different from the gut populations . Any imbalance in specific bacterial communities is likely to have a profound effect on urologic health owing to their metabolic output and other contributions. Contrary to the urine of an asymptomatic healthy individual, an altered microbiome with specific dominating urotypes was lately reported in subjects with functional disorders of the urinary tract . On the other hand, non-modifiable host factors seem to have a role in the UTIs colonization, probably through its influence in intestinal microbiota . Other host factors, such as the response to fibrinogen depositing at the infection site has been found to be critical to establishing catheter-associated UTIs .

How To Take Cranberry Juice For Uti:

The Research on Cranberry Juice and Urinary Tract Infections

If you wish to use cranberry juice to treat UTI then you must take it 114 to 296ml or in doses of 4 to 10 oz. of pure juice, a day. Since cranberry juice is very sour the cranberry juice which is available commercially contains added sweeteners. You should therefore purchase that brand which has the lowest amount of added sugar.

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What Causes A Uti

Urinary tract infections have a variety of causes, and some people are more likely to get them than others. Here are the factors at play:

  • Biological sex: People with vaginas are more likely than people with penises to develop UTIs. Blame genital anatomy. In people with vaginas, the rectal area is close enough to the urethra that its not inconceivable that bacteria would end up in the wrong place. By contrast, the urethra and rectum are farther apart when someone has a penis. It is possible for someone with a penis to get a UTI, its just much less common than it is for those with vaginas.
  • Age: Post-menopausal women are more likely than younger women to get UTIs due to things like urinary incontinence and estrogen deficiency. Women who had recurrent UTIs in their younger years might get them even more often after menopause.
  • Sexual activity: One major downside to sex is that it increases your risk of getting a UTI. Think about it: Any type of friction in your genital area can allow bacteria to move around down there, potentially getting into your urethra and triggering infection.

Mouse Model Of Ascending Uti

Six- to eight-week old, outbred albino female mice, Ssc:CF1, 30 ± 2 g were used. The mice were housed six to a cage and at all times provided free access to feed and water or treatment solutions. The model used was described in detail previously . Anesthetized mice were inoculated transurethrally with 50 l bacterial suspension containing ~5 × 108 CFUs using plastic catheters. The catheter was carefully inserted via the urethral orifice until it reached the top of the bladder and the bacterial suspension was slowly injected into the bladder. The catheter was immediately removed after inoculation and the mice subjected to no further manipulations until sacrifice. The mice were sacrificed 7 days after inoculation. For recovery of bacteria, bladders, and kidneys were aseptically collected in 0.9% saline and homogenized using a sterile grinder , and serial dilutions were plated on selective media. All animal experiments were conducted under the auspices of the Danish Animal Experiments Inspectorate, the Danish Ministry of Justice.

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Commercially Available And Fresh Cranberry Juice Significantly Reduce Bacterial Counts In Infected Bladders

The mice in the control groups drinking only water were infected with a median of 5.4 × 104 CFU per g bladder at sacrifice day 7 after inoculation . Treatment with both commercially available Cranberry Juice Cocktail and fresh cranberry juice reduced the CFU in the bladder by 65% and 47% , respectively . Also treatment with the hydrophilic fraction of cranberry juice decreased CFU in the bladder by 44% whereas treatment with the ethanolic fraction of cranberry juice had no effect. Only very few mice had kidney infection and the bacterial counts were low prohibiting analysis of treatment effect in the kidneys .

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Cranberries Protect Against Urinary Tract Infections

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Misconception: Drinking Buckets Of Cranberry Juice Can Cure And Even Prevent Bladder Infections

Actually: You may enjoy the taste but it wont cure and, probably, wont prevent recurrence.

This purported remedy is centuries old and there is a considerable amount of research investigating it. While some studies suggest that cranberry may reduce repeated infections in younger women, it is certainly not a treatment for an active case. The gold standard for treatment is antibiotics. Sometimes doctors just recommend rest and ibuprofen.

I was hoping it would work, said Dr. Manisha Juthani-Mehta, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Medicine, and the lead author of a study published Thursday in the journal JAMA, which showed no reduction in urinary tract infections for female nursing home patients who took standardized, high-dose cranberry capsules the equivalent of 20 ounces of juice daily for a year.

Im not sure its worth spending money on, particularly for patients on a fixed income, she said.

In a strongly worded editorial also in JAMA, Dr. Lindsay E. Nicolle, an expert on urinary tract infections, or UTIs, at the University of Manitoba, concluded that the evidence is convincing that cranberry products should not be recommended as a medical intervention for the prevention of UTI. She added that clinicians should not be promoting cranberry use by suggesting that there is proven, or even possible, benefit.

She concluded, It is time to move on from cranberries.

Fact Or Farce Do Cranberries Cure Urinary Tract Infections

By Urology Associates

When does the population consume more cranberries and drink more cranberry juice than during the holidays? For some who suffer from urinary tract infections they have a little cranberry juice or even a cranberry pill every day.

Urinary tract infections are common, in fact, they are the second most common infection that people seek treatment for. Over a lifetime, a woman has a fifty percent chance of having a bladder infection. But its not just women at risk for these pesky infections, men get UTIs too. It just happens to be more common in women because they have a shorter urethra, in comparison to men, and that makes it easier for bacteria to get into the bladder.

The most common cause of a UTI is bacteria, but viruses and even yeast can also travel through the urethra and into the bladder causing an infection. There are also several medical conditions that can put one at higher risk for a UTI. Individuals with diabetes are at a higher risk, as we age the risk goes up, and women in menopause can have a higher incidence. Sexual intercourse can increase the risk and bowel conditions such as constipation or loose stools can also increase the risk of a UTI. Its important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of an impending bladder infection, because if you catch it early, you may not need medical intervention.

Early symptoms of a UTI include:

Advanced symptoms include:

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